Announcements

New Funding Available for Basic and Mechanistic Research on Pain and Complementary Approaches: Explore NIH HEAL Opportunities

By Wen G. Chen, Ph.D.

January 23, 2019

Are you interested in taking advantage of the NIH HEAL Initiative^SM funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to conduct basic and mechanistic research to explore and discover new pain treatment options? The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) offers several FOAs for you to consider.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Complementary Health Approaches (January 2019 Issue of Clinical Digest)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically starts in the late fall and early winter and goes away during the spring and summer. Depressive episodes linked to the summer can occur but are much less common than winter episodes of SAD. Some of the symptoms of the winter pattern of SAD include having low energy, overeating, craving carbohydrates, and social withdrawal. Light therapy has become a standard treatment of SAD, and antidepressants have also been shown to improve SAD symptoms.

Resources for Researchers

NIH Seeks Your Input on a Revised Definition of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

The National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) is seeking public input on a revised definition of behavioral and social sciences research. They would like to get your thoughts on whether the revised definition is clear, how well it captures the full range of health-related behavioral and social sciences research at NIH, and how well it distinguishes behavioral and social sciences research from other disciplines of research.

Comments from all stakeholders, including behavioral and social science researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, and other interested members of the public, are welcome. If you’re providing input on behalf of an organization, please submit a single coordinated response reflecting the views of the organization and its members.

To read the revised definition, submit your ideas, and comment on the ideas submitted by others, go to the OBSSR crowdsourcing IdeaScale website https://obssr.ideascale.com/. The deadline is February 22.

2019 Award Competition: Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Disorders - Pilot Funding Opportunity

The University of Massachusetts’ Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies (CAPCaT) in Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Diseases—supported in part by NCCIH—announces an award solicitation focused on developing, adapting, or validating technologies that can be rapidly applied to heart, lung, blood, or sleep disorders, with additional interest in projects that incorporate complementary and integrative health approaches. Awards will be up to $100,000 paid over 12 months. Pre-proposals must be submitted through the POCTRN online system and are due Friday, March 1, 2019. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the NCCIH SBIR/STTR Program Director Dr. Merav Sabri via email at merav.sabri@nih.gov.

NIH Implementation of the Final Rule on the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (Common Rule)

NIH has issued initial guidance on the implementation of the Revised Common Rule NOT-OD-19-050. The effective date for the amended regulation is January 21, 2019. It applies to studies initiated on or after this date, and ongoing studies that voluntarily transitioned to the Revised Common Rule, including those that implemented the three burden-reducing provisions during the delay period (July 19, 2018 through January 20, 2019).

New Funding Opportunities and Notices

Upcoming Events

Natural Products and Pain: The search for novel nonopioid analgesics

February 6, 2019, NIH Campus; Natcher Bulding 45, Balcony B, 45 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD

Pain Seminar: Opioid-induced plasticity and the interaction with pain

February 7, 2019, 11 a.m.-12 noon ET; Building 49, Room 1A51/1A59, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD

HEAL Initiative: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Management of Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) - Technical Assistance Videocast

February 7, 2019, 2 p.m. ET; Remote attendance only.

Meeting of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health (NACCIH)

February 8, 2019, 10:15 a.m. ET (open session); NIH Campus, Building 31/6C conference room 10, Bethesda, MD

Workshop, "Translating Fundamental Science of Acupuncture into Clinical Practice--for Cancer Symptom Management, Pain, and Substance Abuse"

February 11-12, 2019; Lister Hill Center Auditorium, Building 38A, NIH campus Bethesda, MD

The National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine and NCCIH are cosponsoring the 2-day event will include discussions on neural and extra-neural mechanisms as well as non-specific effects of acupuncture. There will also be presentations on overcoming barriers to clinical research with acupuncture. Researchers and NIH staff are encouraged to attend. The workshop is also open to the public and will be webcast. Space is limited.